Climax Mine

The Climax Mine is the world’s largest molybdenum mine; it produced its first ore in 1915. Molybdenum mining has always been influenced by supply and demand, and the mine closed in 1995 because of low molybdenum prices. The Climax Mine has now reopened, producing its first product in 17 years in May 2012.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

The underground workings are not visible from the road, but travelers can see the extensive tailings ponds where waste rock is deposited, and glimpse some of the open pit mine workings. The disturbed land is in the process of being reclaimed using bio-solid waste from nearby communities. Travelers along State Highway 91, south of I-70 between Copper Mountain and Leadville, can tune their car radios to a specialAM-band station hear a narrative about the mine, and interpretive signs near the parking lot describe the geology of the huge molybdenum ore body.